Rare-wine collectors are savvy, competitive guys with a taste for impossible finds. The biggest hoax in history took place right under their noses.

Even at Rudy Kurniawan’s coming-out party in September 2003, there were questionable bottles of wine.
A score of Southern California’s biggest grape nuts had gathered at the restaurant Melisse in Santa Monica that Friday for a $4,800-a-head vertical tasting of irresistible rarities provided by Kurniawan: Pétrus in a dozen vintages, reaching as far back as 1921, in magnums.
Although Pétrus is now among the most famous wines in the world, it gained its exalted status relatively recently; before World War II, it was virtually unheard of, and finding large-format bottles that had survived from the twenties bordered on miraculous. Paul Wasserman, the son of prominent Burgundy importer Becky Wasserman, is something like wine royalty, but before this event, the oldest Pétrus he had tasted was from 1975.
Nonetheless, two bottles left him scratching his head. The 1947 lacked the unctuousness of right-bank Bordeaux from that legendary vintage, and the 1961 struck him as “very young.” He briefly entertained the idea of “possible fakes”—’61 Pétrus in magnum has fetched up to $28,440 at auction—and jotted, in his notes on the ’47, “If there’s one bottle I have serious doubts about tonight, this is it.”
But in the rare-wine world, doubts are endemic; murkiness is built into a product that is concealed by tinted glass and banded wooden cases and opaque provenance and the fog of history. At the same time, the whole apparatus of the rare-wine market is about converting doubt into mystique. Most wealthy collectors want to spend big and drink famous labels, not necessarily ask questions or hear the answers. Guests at tastings don’t want to bite the hand that quenches them. Auctioneers may not want to risk losing consignments by nitpicking ambiguous bottles. Winemakers don’t like to talk about counterfeiting, for fear of the taint. Also, one thing not high on the FBI’s list of investigative priorities: billionaires getting snowed by wine forgers. It’s clear to everyone on this rarefied circuit that wine fraud is rampant. It’s also clear not many insiders feel an urgency to do anything about it.
Wasserman ended up convincing himself that the wines must be legitimate. Another guest who had tasted the ’61 many times said this one was “absolutely consistent” with his experience. And there was nothing suspect about the wines’ appearance. The colors were appropriate; the corks, even those that looked young, were plausible (it was standard historical practice for wines to be recorked). As for the hodgepodge of inks and paper types used for the labels, Wasserman wasn’t qualified to judge. But Kurniawan, usually soft-spoken and reserved, held forth with great assurance, in his lightly accented English, about the variable labeling of old Pétrus. As Wasser-man told a popular online wine board a few days later, “Rudy has become quite an expert on the subject.”
That Kurniawan had assembled such wines, and such winos, and was considered an expert at all about wine in 2003 was extraordinary, considering that just two years earlier he’d been a newbie. But in the moneyed stratosphere of hyperrare collectible wine, merely opening one’s wallet is often lionized as an act of courage or virtue.
Kurniawan has dated his wine epiphany to 2001, when, celebrating his father’s birthday at a restaurant on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, he drank a 1996 Opus One. Twenty-five at the time and living in the Los Angeles suburb of Arcadia, Kurniawan became enthralled, and was soon combing L.A. for the wine, quickly amassing 200 bottles. He started attending weekly tastings at the Red Carpet, a wine store in Glendale. Early the following year, at a charity auction in Paso Robles, he made a stir when, bidding on a hotly contested lot of the cult California Syrah Sine Qua Non, he simply held his paddle aloft until he won.
By the end of 2002, Kurniawan was on a classic trajectory, graduating from California wines to premier cru Bordeaux. Then he moved on, in time-honored fashion, to the apex of connoisseurship: Burgundy. Wine lovers fall hard for Burgundy. The greatest of its wines are considered singular expressions of their terroir, the region’s complexity challenges even the geekiest geek, and the wines are mostly produced in such tiny quantities that bottle-hunting can be obsessive. Allen Meadows, 33-year Burgundy collector, publisher of the Burghound newsletter, and the premier Burgundy critic in the U.S., says, “As much as I know, there’s ten times I don’t know.” Kurniawan took to it with such zeal that, says Meadows, “I’ve seen very few people learn Burgundy so fast.”
Among other things, Kurniawan was a gifted taster, someone with not only a discerning palate but also a prodigious memory—a taste library in his head. He could peg some wines “double-blind,” deducing their identities without knowing in advance that they were even among the group being served. He was soon making a splash in auction rooms, spending an estimated $1 million a month. He “cornered much of the megamarket,” auctioneer John Kapon would later say. Largely because of Kurniawan’s influence, old-wine prices rose dramatically. In 2002, a bottle of 1945 DRC Romanée-Conti sold for $2,600. Last year, one went for $124,000.

http://nymag.com/news/features/rudy-kurniawan-wine-fraud-2012-5/

Good picnic spots can be found in some of the best resorts in Pampanga. The good resorts and hotels in Clark Philippines offer safe and clean outdoor facilities for family bonding and picnics. For many reasons Manila families and residents of Angeles City Pampanga as well as Subic and Baguio consider Clearwater as one of the best resorts in Pampanga and certainly the best hotel in Clark Philippines. Guests of this child friendly resort in Clark Pampanga often relax and unwind by the beautiful lake and beach. Hotel accommodation is also available here in this resort in Clark. Function room for meetings and seminars is also available in this popular resort in Clark Philippines. This hotel in Clark is also a favorite holiday destination near Manila during Holy Week, Easter, Christmas and New Year holidays.

Pampanga is an important province of the Philippines slated to be the next business and tourism center of the country. Already international traffic prefers the Clark International Airport and tourists find Clark Freeport Zone easier to get around than Manila. Safety, low crime rate, no traffic and low pollution levels all contribute to making Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone a preferred destination for local and international tourists.

Among the best resorts and hotels in Angeles City Clark Pampanga, Clearwater offers the best outdoor facilities for leisure activities as well as the best and most secured venues for events, company outings, team building, debuts, weddings, prenuptial, planning, family retreat, school field trips and other personal and corporate functions and events. Even organizers prefer this deluxe resort in Angeles City Pampanga not only for its good facilities and event venues but also for its location which is conveniently accessible from Manila; tourists and family travelers prefer this resort in Pampanga because of safety reasons. Although this hotel in Clark is not always regarded as a luxurious resort, Clearwater Resort and Country Club is recognized as the best country club near Manila. This top rated hotel in Angeles City Pampanga is just 70 minutes drive from Manila and there is no city traffic to negotiate along the way up north.

Highly recommended beach resort in North Luzon for company outings and family retreats is most frequently visited hotel in Clark Pampanga because of beautiful view and good outdoor facilities for swimming, picnic and barbecue.

Family bonding is a regular activity in the Philippines for families living in cities like Cebu and Manila where residents experience a lot of stress from work. Many choose to travel out of town to the north for family bonding in a resort in Pampanga. Clearwater Resort is the most popular destination for family bonding as well as team building because it offers over 10 exclusive venues for events and gatherings. This resort is Pampanga is highly recommended by event organizers and trip advisories for family bonding, company outings, retreats and team building near Manila.

Even tourists and business travelers staying in hotels in Philippines Angeles Pampanga take time off from nightlife, bars and other city entertainment to enjoy a relaxing day in leisure at famous beach resort in Clark Freeport Pampanga. Foreign and local tourists visiting Clark enjoy a sense of safety while savoring the laidback lifestyle offered by famous resort hotels like Clearwater in Clark which is generally considered to be one of the best resorts in Pampanga.

Families traveling out of town go to the north to get away from Manila to unwind, relax and swim with friends and children. Highly recommended holiday spot and vacation destination this summer in the north is Clearwater Beach Resort in Clark. Clark is adjacent to Pampanga’s Angeles City which is just 70 minutes from Manila and 25 minutes from Subic.

For inquiries and bookings, Please click here to contact Clearwater Resort for inquiries and reservations now

Clearwater Resort and Country Club, Clark Pampanga
Creekside Road near Centennial Expo,
Clark Freeport, Pampanga Philippines 2023
(045) 889-5151 0917-520-4403 0922-870-5177
Joanne or Jeremy or Loydha

Getting to this lake and beach resort in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Philippines

After entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway MA Roxas, passing the stand-along wine shop called Clark Wine Center on the right, continue to bear right making no turns at all, go past Mimosa Leisure Estate on the opposite side of the road, one will hit a major intersection. Go straight and the road becomes Creekside Road. YATS Clearwater Resort and Country Club is on the right just 200m down.

Family Bonding by the famous lake of Clark Pampanga

http://www.ClearwaterPhilippines.com

Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 Rea or Chay

Email: Inquiry@ClearwaterPhilippines.com

Please click here to contact Clearwater Resort to reserve a venue for your upcoming event now

Wedding couples looking for wedding reception venues and beach wedding venues can log on to this Philippines Wedding Venue web site for free information and assistance:

http://www.PhilippinesWeddingVenue.com

While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

YATS Leisure Philippines is a developer and operator of clubs, resorts and high-class restaurants and wine shops in Clark Angeles Philippines http://www.YatsLeisure.com

While in Clark, one might as well add to the itinerary a visit to the famous Clark Wine Center, the largest wine shop in Philippines which offers over 2000 selections of fine vintage wine from all wine regions, vintages spanning over 50 years covering all price ranges.
http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Looking for famous tourists spots, places to visit and see, relax and unwind in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines? You may want to check out these sites also:

http://www.LondonPubClark.com

http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com

http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com

http://www.YatsWineCellars.com

For jobs and business investment opportunities in the Philippines please visit http://www.yilp.com

Hot Line for what’s happening in Clark: 045 889-5151 or 0927-940-2669 ask for Loydha

0915-542-6250 (Jeramie)